This Week in Finance News: 12 Stories You Need to See

A roundup of the week's most newsworthy financial industry press releases from PR Newswire, including the launch of an Xbox Mastercard.

NEW YORK, Sept. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- With thousands of press releases published each week, it can be difficult to keep up with everything on PR Newswire. To help journalists covering the finance industry stay on top of the week's most newsworthy and popular releases, here's a roundup of stories from the week that shouldn't be missed.

The list below includes the headline (with a link to the full text) and an excerpt from each story. Click on the press release headlines to access accompanying multimedia assets that are available for download.

1. Xbox to Launch the Xbox Mastercard, Its First-Ever Credit Card in the US, Issued by Barclays
   The Xbox Mastercard has no annual fee and rewards Xbox players 5X card points on qualifying purchases within the Microsoft Store, 3X across eligible dining delivery and streaming services, and 3 months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate after the first purchase (for new Game Pass members).
2. Nearly 30% of Americans Prioritize Buying the Latest Tech, Like iPhone 15, Over Paying Bills
   "As cool as that new iPhone might be, avoiding unnecessary debt is a whole lot cooler. If you can afford to buy it and pay it off in a month or two, have at it. If not, make a plan and take it slow," said LendingTree's chief credit analyst Matt Schulz.
3. Morningstar Brings the Evolving Investor to Future Proof
   Morningstar launches new advisor-centered research, business intelligence solution for home offices, and the next step for its AI chatbot Mo.
4. First Citizens Bank's Annual Forecast Finds Small Businesses Confident, Undeterred By Economic Outlook
   The ninth annual First Citizens Bank Small Business Forecast found 79% of owners to be somewhat or very confident their small businesses will experience growth over the next 6-12 months, citing bank loans (57%), business credit cards (49%) and non-bank loans (25%) as the key funding proponents supporting expansion.
5. Uber and PayPal Expand Relationship
   This deal expands their areas of partnership to include additional processing through PayPal Braintree, alternative domestic debit network routing across a range of geographies, instant driver and courier payouts to PayPal and Venmo, and custom support for new lines of business.
6. Mubadala Commits $1 Billion to Blue Owl Capital's Technology Lending Strategy
   "This mandate reflects the depth of our direct lending capabilities within the technology sector and our ability to deliver differentiated solutions that enable our clients to meet their investment objectives," said Doug Ostrover, Co-Chief Executive Officer of Blue Owl.
7. Finseca: September is Life Insurance Awareness Month
   Life insurance is often overlooked, despite it being a fundamental component of a sound financial strategy. Whether you're looking to cover your final expenses, pay off debts, provide for your family, or leave a legacy to your loved ones – life insurance can help fulfill each of these goals.
8. BitPay Adds Support for PayPal USD (PYUSD) Stablecoin
   "When adding a new cryptocurrency for merchants to accept we look at many factors, but among the most important is its payment utility and community involvement. Supporting PYUSD encourages mass adoption of cryptocurrency payments from PayPal's enormous customer base," said Stephen Pair, CEO of BitPay.
9. GOODLES® Raises $13M in Series A Funding Round Led by Leading Consumer-Focused Investment Firm, L Catterton
   "We are excited about this partnership with L Catterton – the best-of-the-best when it comes to scaling consumer brands. The influx of capital to keep up with demand, coupled with the ability of our extraordinarily creative and results-oriented team to produce unconventional and joyful executions, positions us perfectly for continued success," said Jen Zeszut, Co-Founder and CEO of GOODLES.
10. New Report Finds Public Pensions Play a Critical Role in Delivering Retirement Security for Older Americans While Reducing Wealth Inequality by Race and Gender
    "This new report is a clear indicator that pensions play a major role in closing this financial gap and ensuring all Americans – especially Blacks, Latinos, women, and those without a four-year college degree – have a better shot at a secure retirement," said Dan Doonan, NIRS executive director.
11. KeyBank Awards Indianapolis Neighborhood Housing Partnership with $300,000 Grant to Increase Affordable and Sustainable Housing
    Studies show Indianapolis' families spend an average of 46 percent of their income on housing and transportation. Through the ETOD program, INHP is promoting housing choice and affordability while also providing access to jobs, education, healthcare, food and cultural amenities – all needed for economic mobility.
12. Home Insurance Prices Up 21% as Homeowners Are Left to Deal with Climate Change, Turbulent Market
    The analysis, which is based on internal Policygenius data from more than 17,000 policies renewing from May 2022 to May 2023, also found that in every state (plus Washington, D.C.) analyzed for this report, the average premium increase was higher than the year before.

Read more of the latest finance-related releases from PR Newswire and stay caught up on the top press releases by following @PRNfinance on Twitter.

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